Monkey Business
by Nroque18
Summary: Welcome to Monquista! Beware: Monquistan royal politics can be deadly, as Matt and his crew find out as the schemes of a tyrannical king and three ex-queens threaten to draw them into a civil war. The third installment in Pirate Legacy.
1. Chapter 1

**Monkey Business**

Chapter One

Even through the numbing haze of battle-fever and the confusion of swords and pistol-smoke on the quarter deck of the Royal Navy ship, I could still see the _Aquila_'s new Jolly Roger on the flag waving atop the main mast: a blue eagle.

Shortly afterwards, Rena and I parleyed with the defeated captain and the first mate aboard the quarter deck of the Royal Navy ship, where it was agreed that in exchange for sparing their lives, they would hand over their violet Windstone.

I pried the Windstone loose from the pilot's wheel with a crowbar handed to me by one of my men, and the defeated Dogs stared glumly at me and my men as we boarded the _Aquila_, leaving them to repair their ship.

We stopped in Puerto Mico to properly install the Windstone inside the pilot's wheel and, and then we sailed east to the Stormgate to Monquista, where several Monquistan first-rates were blockading the Stormgate.

As we approached, one of the Monquistan first-rates stopped us, and the captain boarded the _Aquila _to check our travel permits. After a minute or so, he put the documents back into the envelope and saluted us, which I knew meant that we could sail to the Stormgate.

As the _Aquila _neared the Stormgate, I pressed the Windstone, and the _Aquila_ was surrounded by a transparent force field that protected the ship from the winds of the Stormgate, but even with the Windstone's protection, Stormgates presented difficult circumstances for a sailor to work in.

Rena issued orders for tacking to the men, while I constantly adjusted the _Aquila_ according to the winds. As we reached the bottom of the Stormgate, we all tied ourselves to the _Aquila_, and she leaned forward as we entered, so that the deck was nearly vertical while the winds howled in our ears.

My eyes were closed and my heart was beating rapidly, as if it were trying to achieve a lifetime's worth of heartbeats before what could be the end, but then the ship suddenly righted herself.

As I opened my eyes, it was as if we were traveling through a dark tunnel illuminated by the light at the end and the sky blue auroras surrounding us like a loose glowing braid.

As we neared the light at the end and entered the Stormgate on the other side, the deck went almost vertical again as the wind howled in our ears, but then the Aquila righted herself, and as we were out of reach of the Stormgate, I breathed a sigh of relief.

As we passed by the Monquistan first-rates blockading the Stormgate to Skull Island, our gunnery officers, the Clutterbuck brothers opened the bulkhead doors at the base of the main mast, and the men poured out from below decks.

"Set course for Monquista City!" I shouted, and the men hurried to bring her to full sail. As we drew closer to Monquista City, I could see that it was similar to Puerto Mico, except that it was located on the edge of a savannah, and that it was made of adobe bricks instead of marble.

We made port in Monquista City's harbor, and we walked up to the royal palace with Gortez in chains, where we entered through the open doors guarded by Monquistadors in black armor with gold designs to the throne room, who said nothing, though they did give us a suspicious look.

The throne room was very large and had a red carpet leading up to the king and queen sitting on their thrones. Many Monquistan nobles were standing around in groups, whispering amongst themselves as we strode towards the king and queen.

"What business do clumsy giants have in the heart of Monquista? I fear you are far too coarse in speech and dress to…" A Monkey in purple, presumably the chamberlain demanded as he stood up.

"We're the ones who captured Gortez." I answered calmly.

"You've captured Gortez? That was you?" The chamberlain asked as he reeled back in shock. I nodded, concealing the smile I had on my face.

"I present you his resplendency Fernando, sixth of that name, King of Monquista and Skull Island, Overlord of Marleybone, and Aquila!" The chamberlain said dramatically as he presented us the king.

King Fernando wore a golden crown decorated with rubies and sapphires, and a black vest over a golden silk shirt with red sleeves, golden silk trousers, white knee socks, and black shoes with brass buckles.

The queen, who was wearing a purple dress and lots of jewelry, then interrupted the chamberlain with a glare as she said: "And?"

"_And _her transcendent sublimity Isadora, Queen of Monquista and Skull Island, Empress Regent of Krokotopia, and Protector of Polaris!" The chamberlain finished.

"Everyone, pray bow." I said quietly, and we all dropped to one knee. As I looked up, the king beckoned us forward, and we slowly walked up to the king and queen.

"We will speak to you now. I take it that you are the captain who braved the jungles of the Isle of Doom and rescued our beloved Gortez?" King Fernando asked, not unkindly.

I hesitated in speaking for a moment as I stood up, and then I answered: "Yes, your majesty."

"Marvelous! Well done indeed! Not even the greatest Monquistador could have done better. You are a credit to your hulking people." King Fernando said, pleased.

"How glad we are to look upon your… freakishly large yet well-formed features! Your deeds shall never be forgotten." Queen Isadora interrupted.

"Verily indeed, let the heralds proclaim throughout the immensity of our realm that this gangly pirate is a hero of the realm!" King Fernando agreed.

"And Gortez… He is in your custody now?" Queen Isadora asked. I nodded. "Excellent!"

"Would you like us to take you to him?" I offered. Queen Isadora shook her head.

"No – we would not look upon him now. No doubt he requires time to… recover." Queen Isadora answered. I didn't like the way she said "_recover_" but I kept quiet.

"Indeed. We decree that Gortez shall be removed to Zenda, where he shall undertake a well-earned… rest." King Fernando agreed. I didn't like the way he said "_rest_" either.

"Dear Captain, you have done so much for Monquista already, might we beg one more favor? Will you deliver Gortez to Zenda, in your excellent ship?" Queen Isadora asked.

"Do this, marvelous Captain, and your efforts shall receive such thanks as fits a King's remembrance. This letter will admit you to Zenda." King Fernando said as he gestured to his chamberlain, who handed me an envelope with a red wax seal.

It was against my better judgment, but in fear of endangering the one chance Skull Island had at a trading agreement with Monquista, I nodded and said: "Of course, your majesties."

"You have our boundless thanks, dear Captain. You may withdraw from our presence now. Good day." Queen Isadora said as the chamberlain shooed us out of the throne room.

We returned to the _Aquila, _where the men were already assembled to set sail. Looking at the map of Tierra Primata Skyway in Nikolai's atlas, we sailed southeast to Zenda. From what Nikolai wrote about Zenda, it was an infamous prison where many enemies of the state are imprisoned.

"But why would the king and queen have us take Gortez there?" Rena asked. "Zenda seems like overkill for an egomaniacal gorilla."

"I don't know, but we should be ready for anything." I answered as we approached Zenda, a stout fortress made of adobe brick.

We made port in the small dock at Zenda, and I and my trusted associates, plus Gortez walked past the five-sided wall lined with Monquistador crossbowmen and up to the four Monquistadors guarding the main entrance, where their leader, a sergeant, stopped us.

"What's this? New prisoners go in around the back. Get going!" The sergeant said as he walked up to us. Then he caught sight of Gortez. "Wait – is that who I think it is? Never mind – move along."

Two Monquistadors led us around the fortress to the back entrance, where they opened the doors for us. As we all stepped inside, the two Monquistadors closed the doors on us.

"What's the meaning of this?" I demanded as we all turned around. Then a voice behind us spoke.

"Your kind are forbidden here, you lanky giants!" The warden, who was wearing black armor with gold designs and wielding a halberd, shouted at us.

"We were sent here by the king and queen!" I shouted as I brought out the letter from the king from the inside of my coat.

"Oh, you have a letter? Well then… Let me see…" The warden said as he snatched the letter from my hand and opened the envelope. He then began reading the letter aloud. Two Monquistadors then took Gortez by the arms and they took him off to the left, still in view.

"As befits the countenance of the realm… etc, etc… ordered hereby to execute Gortez for his unseemly crimes… Yes, yes."

"Ah! There's more… The Crown doth hereby order the death of the Pirates who bear this message!" The warden exclaimed. "Let that miscreant rascal be declared an enemy of the realm, to be attacked on sight without mercy. That's clear enough!"

Suddenly, Gortez broke free of his chains and the guards, and he grabbed hold of a nearby battleaxe. "I shall help you win this fight!"

I drew my sword and pistol and we stood back to back as eight Monquistadors surrounded us and pointed their halberds at us while their comrades engaged the others.

As Monquistador crossbowmen fired at us, I concentrated and shouted: "Valor's Shield!"

A blue force field surrounded us, and the crossbow bolts bounced harmlessly off. I then dropped the force field and fired my pistol at one Monquistador, and Gortez smashed the flat of his battleaxe into the four Monquistadors facing him.

I reversed my grip on the pistol in my left so that I held the barrel, and as I parried one halberd with my pistol, I slammed the flat of my blade into the Monquistador's helmet, and Gortez simply banged the flat of his battleaxe onto the heads of the remaining two Monquistadors, knocking them out.

The others had already taken care of the other Monquistadors, and we regrouped in the center of the main hall, where Gortez addressed me.

"You fight well, hairless one! What passed between us before is forgotten. They want me back? I am back." Gortez said as he took the ring of keys from the unconscious warden, knocked out by a blow to the head from Rena, and began unlocking jail cells.

"I tried to get out… but they pulled me back in. Now this fortress is MINE!" Gortez shouted, his voice echoing throughout the fortress.

"Your coming is a godsend, stranger. For years I have languished in this cell, my only crime questioning the excesses of the King and his nobles." A Monkey in rags said as he came out of his cell.

"We share the same enemies. I wonder if that make us friends. We are the Opposition. Join us, and strike a blow for justice! Speak to the Lady Eleanor." The Monkey said as he pointed to a queenly looking female Monkey in a dress made of rags as she came out of her cell.

"Welcome, captain, to my palace of grime. I am Eleanor, once Queen of Monquista. Now, I am but one of many former queens, all of us prisoners." Lady Eleanor said, curtsying as we approached her. We all returned the gesture with bows, and she continued.

"Only now I am set free, thanks to you. It's been a long time since anyone fought back against the Crown. It's time for that to change."

"My dear sisters-in-law have been conspiring for years. They have a plan to weaken the Crown and change things, but I have no idea what it is."

"I propose a bargain: contact my sisters and help with our plan, and I'll help you with your treaty. Agreed?" Lady Eleanor said.

"Agreed, but how do you know about the treaty?" I asked.

"I have my sources." Lady Eleanor answered as he pointed to the Monkey we had spoken to earlier, who had changed into a red vest over a white shirt, trousers, and brown shoes, and was now walking towards us. "Aguilar knows where to begin."

"The Crown and the Holy Monquisition conspire to oppress the common folk. But we are striving to end their tyranny and build a better Monquista." Aguilar said.

"You are with us?" Aguilar asked. We all nodded. "Good! We must seek out Queen Anna. She is confined at Saint Bonobo's Abbey – she will know the details of the plan."

"The abbey is far from the capital; a fast ship could make it there unnoticed. I will guide you there, and bring messages to our brothers."

I then turned to my crew. "Well, it looks like we're setting course for Saint Bonobo's Abbey."


	2. Chapter 2

**Monkey Business**

Chapter Two

"Bring her in, full stop!" I called. As we entered the small dock in front of the entrance to Saint Bonobo's Abbey, the men furled the sails and dropped the anchor.

I and my trusted associates walked down the gangplank, and we walked past the large wooden double doors in the adobe brick walls into the small village in front of the abbey itself, which was also made of adobe bricks.

Aguilar led us inside the abbey and into its church, where a prior, dressed in brown robes, was down on his knees in front of an altar, praying.

As we approached him, the prior finished praying and stood up to greet us. Aguilar bowed to the prior in respect. "Prior Andre, we seek Queen Anna."

"Peace is upon you, travelers. Have no fear – my cloister is… sympathetic to your cause." Prior Andreo said. "You seek Queen Anna? She is in the tower overlooking the grounds."

We bowed in respect and left the abbey, and we began walking up the dusty path to the tall adobe tower overlooking the abbey and the village.

We reached the top floor of the tower, where a female Monkey with a tall wig and blue gown was sitting down at a table.

Two other people were in the room with her: a Unicorn from Valencia wearing a scholar's robes reading a book in the bottom-right corner, and two other Monkeys reading in the corners of the room.

As Queen Anna looked up at us, she gave a start. Then she addressed Aguilar. "Who let these… creatures in along with you?"

"Your majesty, the giant here is the captain of the ship who brought me here, and this is his crew. He is with us." Aguilar said, bowing slightly.

"Forgive me, Captain – you startled me! The last thing I expected to see was a giant come with word from dear Eleanor." Queen Anna said, recovered from her shock.

"The Opposition has taken Zenda." I said.

"The Opposition's finally stirring! For too long, the Crown has strangled all communication between our hidden brotherhoods, leaving us blind." Queen Anna said.

"Queen Catherine, one of my beloved ex sisters-in-law, has hatched a plan to splinter the noble houses, undermining the Crown's power."

"That's all I know – there have been no more messages in so long. Catherine is held in the Summer Palace. Abbot Emilio can tell you how to reach her." Queen Anna said, pointing to one of the Monkeys in the room, who had put down his book and was now approaching us.

"The Summer Palace is no easy place to enter, but there is a way. Tunnels under the grounds lead to a drain which opens under the cliffs nearby." Abbot Emilio said.

"Iron gates seal the drains in many places – you will need keys to pass them. You can take them from the patrol ships near the palace."

We bowed in respect and we left the abbey to board the _Aquila_, leaving Aguilar behind to begin building a pigeon coop for the Opposition. We sailed southwest past Zenda to the island where the Summer Palace was. Many Monquistan patrols consisting of three gunboats and a frigate were sailing around it.

"There's some powder on those gunboats!" David Clutterbuck called from the port side as we closed in on the patrol farthest from the Summer Palace. "Swivel guns, make ready!"

As the men manning the swivels on the port side loaded their guns, our port side was parallel with theirs. As the men fired the swivels, the gunboat lit up the sky as she exploded.

The port guns had just finished reloading when the Monquistan frigate drew level with us, and we exchanged broadsides.

Fortunately, the Monquistan frigate had fewer guns than the Aquila, so we weren't too badly damaged by their guns.

"Swivel guns, make ready!" Rena called as we turned around to catch up with the remaining two gunboats. As we moved in between the two gunboats, the swivel guns fired on the powder stores on the gunboats, lighting up the sky.

As we drew level with the Monquistan frigate, the port side fired chain shots, disabling her. I could see that the Monquistadors were preparing to repel the boarders as we drew to a stop.

"Hook us in! Bring her close!" Rena shouted as she drew her sword and pointed it at the Monquistan frigate. Some of David's men began throwing grappling hooks onto her railings, while the starboard gunnery officer and David's younger brother, Richard passed each of his men a sparquebus.

"Man the swivels! Cover from the quarter deck!" David shouted as he fired his pistol at the Monquistador crossbowmen trying to form a firing line on the Monquistan frigate's quarter deck.

Several of the men fired their own guns, and soon many Monquistadors lay stunned on the quarter deck.

"Secure the aft lines! Tie off the bow!" Rena shouted as men began climbing up the masts to finish securing the Monquistan frigate.

I drew my sword and ran down to the quarter deck of the Aquila, where the boarding party was assembled. I led my men in the charge to the Monquistan frigate, where we leapt off the Aquila's railings and onto the Monquistan frigate's own railings.

As I climbed up onto the quarter deck, a Monquistador tried to stab me with his halberd, but I simply grabbed the handle of his weapon and punched him in the face.

I then spotted the captain behind a small firing line of eight crossbowmen, and as they fired their weapons, I shouted: "Valor's Shield!"

As a blue force field surrounded me, the crossbow bolts bounced harmlessly off, and I returned fire with Gunnery. As the blue fireballs struck the crossbowmen, the captain then charged at me with his halberd.

As he raised his halberd for a mighty chop, I held my sword out above me, and the halberd's steel was met with my sword. I then kicked the captain in the chest, and pulling out my pistol, I shot him. I then spotted a metal ring of keys on his belt, and I quickly looted it off his unconscious body.

As I hurried to reload my pistol, I spotted a large hole in the deck at the bow of the Monquistan frigate, and I saw several powder kegs.

"Boarders, withdraw!" I called. As my men ran back to the ship, I aimed my pistol and fired, and the burst of electricity ignited the powder kegs.

As I leapt off the Monquistan frigate's railings and landed onto the quarter deck of the _Aquila_, the Monquistan frigate was a fireball hurtling towards the clouds below. I brushed off my coat as I retook my position at the helm.

Avoiding the other patrols, we soon found a hidden dock in the back of the island, and we made port there. As the men set foot on the dock, surrounded on three sides by cliffs, Rena was unlocking the iron grate on the wooden door that was the drain entrance.

As the steel lock came upon, she opened the door and I and the rest of my trusted associates walked into the sewer, lanterns lit.

As the lights of our lanterns came across torch sconces hanging on the walls, we lit the torches and we continued on.

"Is it just me, or is this sewer way too big?" I asked aloud as we entered an open room, and the lights of our torches illuminated the red shells of giant crabs, who snapped their claws menacingly at us.

"It looks like we'll have to crush a crab or two to get by." Ratbeard said as he drew his cutlass.

As one crab's claw reached towards me, I cut it off, and it hissed in pain. I then kicked it over onto its back and then stabbed a chink in its underside, killing it.

As we killed all of the crabs, we stepped over them and continued on. A little while later, we saw a light at the end of the tunnel, literally.

We passed through the broken iron bars and into a corner of the lower courtyard of the Summer Palace. Only a single patrol of four guards was walking around on the courtyard above us.

"There's an iron gate up ahead. Maybe one of those guards has the key." Jack said as we drew our weapons again and approached the guard patrol from behind.

Suddenly, the palace guards turned around and pointed their weapons at us.

"Halt, intruder! Holy Saint Simian, it is the Pirate! Surrender to us, hairless giant, in the name of His Majesty!" The lead palace guard shouted, though he and his three comrades were outnumbered. All it took was four bursts of electricity from our guns, and they were stunned.

Rena drew her dagger, and she quickly cut off the ring of keys from the lead Monkey's belt. We all ran to the huge gate, where she opened it and we all stepped inside a hedge maze. As far as I could see, the hedges were healthy, which was impressive, considering Monquista's dry climate.

Using pebbles taken from the beds of the hedges, I marked our path, but it turned out to be unnecessary, because we soon came across a giant chessboard in the middle of a marble courtyard in front of a large elaborate marble manor house.

Unfortunately, the captain of the guard, wearing black armor, was already there, waiting for us along with all of the palace guards.

"You hulking monstrosities with your hairlessness, for this affront you will now taste Monquistan steel!" The captain of the guard shouted as his men surrounded us.

Bonnie, Emmet, and I had reloaded our pistols when we were walking through the hedge maze, and so we took out four Monquistadors.

As the Monquistadors cut us off from one another, Rena and I were surrounded by eight Monquistadors with halberds. I aimed my pistol again and pulled the trigger. Instead of the usual burst of electricity, the pistol fired a blue fireball that struck one Monquistador in the chest.

When I was practicing my powers with the Commodore, who was eager to help me hone my new abilities, I had found that firing Gunnery from my hands was wildly inaccurate, so I learned how to use my pistol as a medium.

Rena and I stood back to back as the Monquistadors closed in on us. "You ready?"

I nodded, and we both charged towards the Monquistadors. I simultaneously parried an attack from one Monquistador and blasted another with Gunnery.

Rena deflected a halberd with her dagger and then slammed the hilt of her sword into the helmet of its wielder, who fell like a sack of potatoes.

As the Monquistador crossbowmen fired their weapons, I summoned a Valor's Shield, and their crossbow bolts bounced off harmlessly. I then returned fire with rapid-fire Gunnery, and many of them grunted as they fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

We both heard the clash of steel, and Rena and I turned around to find that the others were alright, having knocked out all of the Monquistadors. We all surrounded the captain of the guard, who had fallen to his knees, begging for mercy.

I decided to let him off the hook and simply slam the flat of my blade into the back of his helmet, knocking him out.

The double wooden doors of the elaborate manor house then opened as a female Monkey wearing a tall wig and pink dress walked forward, along with an escort wielding a spear.

"Who's sent you?" The female Monkey asked politely, though her bodyguard leered at us. I assumed she was Queen Catherine.

"Queen Anna and Lady Eleanor have sent us." I said respectfully as I bowed.

"Ah, my dear in laws, the outlaws, are still playing their great game, are they?" Queen Catherine asked.

"You've come about the Plan, but I'm afraid you're too late. There is no Plan, not now. The Holy Monquisition caught all my agents, and uncovered my scheme. Checkmate."

"This queen has no pawns left to move. Go back and tell Eleanor that she is on her own."

"If Eleanor is free, then Zenda is the center of the Opposition now. I cannot go with you; it would just draw the Crown's attention. Good luck."

I frowned as we walked back to the lower courtyards, and we saw the _Aquila _waiting for us at the docks, with David at the helm.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Richard, who was at the foot of the gangplank.

"When we heard the Monquistadors shouting bloody murder, we knew you'd reached the courtyard, so we decided to sail to the front of the palace to help you. But it looks like it wasn't necessary."

I nodded. "Set course for Zenda."


	3. Chapter 3

**Monkey Business**

Chapter Three

"Captain, I hope you bring us good news?" Lady Eleanor asked as we entered the fortress of Zenda. Since last time, Zenda had been converted into a barracks for the Opposition.

"Do you like what we've done to the place? Thanks to you and Gortez, the Opposition now has a fortress and a mighty general!"

Red flags with the golden face of a roaring gorilla hung all around the fortress, and Monkeys were forging weapons and armor inside the fortress, while outside, Gortez was training the other Monkeys in the use of weapons.

I shook my head. "Queen Catherine can't help. The Monquisition has gotten rid of all her agents."

"This is terrible news from Queen Catherine. I had hoped for much more… Very well, I shall make a new Plan, a Plan of my own. I have an idea." Lady Eleanor said.

"There is an ancient treasure, the Monkey's Paw, which will draw many noble families to our side and give us leverage over the Monquisition."

"I don't know where the Paw is, but Monkey Hotay, Lord of La Mancha, he does. You are all the fleet we have – it falls to you to go."

I nodded. "Of course we will, Lady Eleanor."

We sailed northwest into a large bay, and La Mancha was located on its western shore. As we made port in La Mancha, I and my trusted associates entered La Mancha. It was in ruins, and there was no living thing in sight, save for a few giant spiders that were killed as soon as they attacked us.

We walked up to the castle to the north of La Mancha, and we passed through the open iron gate to find a Monkey wearing dusty robes standing next to a Donkey with a frizzy white mustache, like he had been shot with a spark thrower one too many times.

He wore a wide-brimmed hat, a steel breastplate over a green shirt, and mismatched boots. He held a makeshift lance made up of a funnel and broom handle, and a pot lid like a shield.

As we approached the two, the Monkey turned to face us. "Welcome, strangers. I am Pancho Stanza. You must forgive my master, Donkey Hotay. He is not the same since… the Paw. Why have you come to this forsaken place?"

"It just so happens we're looking for the Monkey's Paw." I said.

"The Monkey's Paw is a dangerous thing indeed, my tall friends. It has been the ruin of my lord, and many other noble souls besides." Pancho Stanza said.

"Stanza, we must prepare for the Festival of Daffodils! Go and acquire four score purple spoons, immediately! I will count the fruitcakes!" Monkey Hotay or rather, Donkey Hotay said.

"Of course, my lord, it shall be as you say." Pancho Stanza said, sighing.

"So how did Monkey Hotay end up like… that?" Rena asked as she peered at Donkey Hotay.

"You do not know the tale? Ah. Let me tell you of the Monkey's Paw, and the sad tale of my master." Pancho Stanza said. We all sat down on some nearby benches to listen to Pancho Stanza's story.

"The Monkey's Paw is a sacred relic, the preserved hand of Saint Bonzo the Unfortunate, martyred no less than three times during the Great Reconciliation of the Holy Church. Blessed by the First Banana Tree, Bonzo worked many miracles before his third and final death."

"After his death, Bonzo's hand was fixed to the end of a golden scepter, and retains miraculous powers to this day. Any Monquistan who holds it may make three wishes, which are granted by divine grace."

"But if their soul is not pure, their wishes will bring them despair instead of happiness. So it was with my master."

"Monkey Hotay, a retainer of the Lord of La Mancha, undertook a great quest to find the Paw. After many trials, he found the relic and brought it back to La Mancha."

"He was tasked to bring the Paw to his lord, but could not resist temptation: he made two wishes, and despair followed. For his first wish, my master wished for one million bananas. He was hungry, you see."

"For his second wish, my lord sought power – he wished to become a Don, a lord. He wished to become Don Kehotay. But this did not happen."

"Instead of Don Kehotay, he became Donkey Hotay, transformed from a Monquistan to a donkey. The transformation drove him mad, but that was just the beginning of the troubles."

"One million bananas, this is an unimaginably rich hoard. Word spread quickly that La Mancha had a priceless heap of bananas, and every lord in Monquista came to claim a share of the treasure."

"The war that followed devastated La Mancha, leaving it emptied and without a lord. Thus, you find it, and my master."

"My lord, he still has one wish left! The Paw could return him to what he was, if you can recover it. I fear your quest, it will not be easy."

"The Paw was lost in the great battle that ravaged La Mancha. One of the Monquistador Lords took it as a prize. Which one? No one knows."

"Or perhaps… Antonio de Miranda might know. He fought here, but later laid down his arms and became a hermit. Seek him out at Saint Bonobo's Abbey."

"Thank you, Pancho Stanza." I said as we got up to leave. We sailed east to Saint Bonobo's Abbey, where we asked around the village for the whereabouts of Antonio de Miranda.

As we stopped for a lunch of _empanadas, _the innkeeper told us that Antonio de Miranda lived in cave not far from the docks.

We thanked the innkeeper for our meal and we began looking, where we soon found a Monkey wearing blue staring out onto the sky.

"What business could people as big as you have with one as small as me?" Antonio de Miranda asked as we approached him.

"Do you remember the war of La Mancha?" I asked.

"Ah… Those bananas and the things we did to take them – horrible." Antonio de Miranda said soberly as he stared at his feet.

"What about the Monkey's Paw?" Rena asked. "Do you know who took it?"

"The Monkey's Paw changed hands many times that day." Antonio de Miranda answered Rena.

"The historian Saavedra wrote an account of the battle. I'm sure his book notes which lord ended up with the Paw."

"The book has been suppressed by the Crown, but the Great Library of Saint Horace in Monquista City holds a copy."

"It's in Monquista City? How the blazes are we supposed to get in there? We're enemies of the Crown!" Ratbeard cried.

"There are drains under the city, from the days when it still rained in Monquista. You could use them to travel directly into the Library." Antonio de Miranda suggested. I nodded. "Thank you, Antonio."

We boarded the _Aquila _and we sailed out of the bay and to the west, where Richard Clutterbuck, our starboard gunnery officer spotted the drain entrance on the northern shore.

We made port and I and my trusted associates stood in front of the drain entrance, lanterns in hand.

"Not another Monquistan drain! They make the ceilings too low for my tastes." Emmett groaned, which was ironic, considering he was the shortest one. Nevertheless, he followed the rest of us into the drain, and everyone except Emmett had to crouch down a little to avoid bumping their heads.

"Look – that must be the exit up to the library!" Bonnie said as she pointed to a wooden ladder in the distance behind three iron gates.

"Aye, now how are we supposed to get to it?" Emmett asked. Ratbeard pointed to a nearby lever. "Here, pull that lever – I reckon it'll open the gates!"

Emmett walked over and pulled down the lever, opening another gate to our right.

"Wonderful. So Ratbeard, what else do you think we should do?" Jack asked sarcastically.

"That's enough yammering! Let's go this way – maybe there's another lever." Ratbeard said. We passed through the open gate and walked down some hallways while lighting the torches on the walls as we made our way.

We entered another room with a higher ceiling, and the lights of our lanterns shone upon a lever to the right of the room, on the wall next to an iron gate. Suddenly, we heard many flapping noises and several Bloodbats flew past us, and we batted them away from our faces, no pun intended.

"See? I knew there'd be another! Give it a try!" Ratbeard said. I stepped forward and pulled on the lever, and the gate next to me opened, and the one in the first room.

"Great, we have another detour. What's next?" Jack asked as we returned to the first room. We walked through the gate and to the next one, where there were two paths, but only the gate to our right was open.

We turned right and we entered a cave that led to some sort of catacomb. As we walked past the coffins in the wall, we soon found three giant spiders guarding the entrance to another cave.

"Beware! We're disturbing an ancient evil!" Old Scratch said as he raised his staff. We drew our weapons, and as the one closest to me and Rena swiped at us with its front legs, we each sliced one off.

I drew my pistol and fired its electrical charge, staggering it for a split second, and I pulled the trigger again, firing a blue fireball with my Gunnery power.

The spider was sent flying backwards, and Rena and I both stabbed it in the abdomen, killing it. We regrouped with the others, and Old Scratch said, "The evil spirits are gone – this place is clean."

We entered the cave and followed it back to the drain, where there was another lever next to a gate. Bonnie pulled down the lever, and in the distance, we heard the sound of a gate opening, and the gate next to the lever opened.

"The right gate's still not open. When will this end?" Emmett wondered as we passed the gate next to the lever. We passed through a cavern and back into another part of the drain system, where we followed the drain to a large room, where a lever was on the wall next to another gate.

"The lever's guarded!" Rena shouted as Monkeys wearing worn, rusty armor, like they had scavenged them from a battlefield.

"You giants trespass in my domain, and you will pay for your bold audacity! Get them, my soldiers!" The lead Monkey shouted as he and the other Monkeys pointed their weapons at us.

I used my Gunnery power and channeled it through my pistol to fire blue fireballs the size of bullets at the surprised Monkeys, and as one Monkey thrust his spear at me, I deflected it and kicked him in the waist.

As he bent over in pain, I slammed the bottom of my sword into his helmet, knocking him out. I heard Rena shout in warning at the same time as the sound of crossbows firing.

I immediately concentrated on the air behind me, and I saw crossbow bolts fly over my head onto the floor, deflected by my Valor's Shield.

I spun around and returned fire with my Gunnery power, and several Monkeys were blasted off their feet, groaning weakly.

"That showed them! Now, pull that lever, and we can be done with this dusty place!" Ratbeard said as he sheathed his cutlass.

I pulled down the lever, to open the final gate, and the gate next to us.

"Here we go! Captain, what say we get out of here?" Jack asked as we turned left and down the main drain to the ladder.

"Monquista City, here we come!" Bonnie said as we reached the foot of the ladder, and I began the climb up the ladder to the library.


	4. Chapter 4

**Monkey Business**

Chapter Four

I opened the manhole leading down into the drain, and as I climbed out, I noticed that we were in a corner of the library, surrounded by shelves filled with books.

"We made it! Now remember, this is a library, so keep your voices down!" Bonnie said in a whisper as she climbed out.

As we all got out of the manhole, Rena began running her finger over the leather-bound books, and I doubted that she'd remember why we were here with all these books.

I looked away from Rena to find a Monkey wearing brown robes standing behind me. Before I could say "Oh crap," the Monkey said excitedly.

"What is this? There are two humans in _my _library? This is extraordinary!" The Monkey said excitedly.

"I am Jerome, the librarian. I know who you Pirates are – but don't worry. You have nothing to fear from me! The Crown reviles you to hide their embarrassment, which is shameful of them."

"Why have you come to my library?" Librarian Jerome asked.

"We're looking for Saavedra's book on the battle of La Mancha." I said as I jerked a thumb at Rena. "But my first mate here's getting a little sidetracked."

"I am not!" Rena said while holding a book titled: "One Hundred Years of Solitude."

"You can get in a lot of trouble reading that book, and I don't mean that one." Librarian Jerome said as he pointed to the book Rena was holding. "But I suspect you know trouble well."

"Brother Tito has a copy of the book, I believe. He would be willing to lend it to me in return for a book of verses, a book Don Elanda has."

"So, take this book to Don Elanda in the general store nearby. Take the book he gives you to Brother Tito in the marketplace. Bring me the Saavedra when all is done." Librarian Jerome said as he handed me a book from one of the shelves.

"But we're the enemies of all Monquista!" I said. Librarian Jerome pointed to a nearby cabinet. "Take masks and gloves from that cabinet. Hide your face, and nobody will suspect a thing."

Rena and I opened the cabinet, and there were two sets of hairy masks and gloves, and we put them on. "How do we look?"

"You look… very inconspicuous in that disguise, captain." Ratbeard said awkwardly.

"I guess it'll have to do." I said, sighing as Rena and I began walking to the entrance of the library. I had to pull Rena away from the library doors as we went outside, and we walked to the general store.

We entered the shop, where a Monkey wearing a white shirt was at the counter looked up from the business ledger. "I've never seen you around before? Where are you from?"

"We're Jerome's new assistants, from Puerto Mico." Rena quickly lied.

"You come from the library? I can see why Jerome hired you – you can reach the tallest shelf!" Don Elanda said.

"Jerome inquired after a book of verses. I have it here. Does he have the geographical treatise I asked for in return?"

I handed him the book, and Don Elanda handed me back another leather bound book in return. "Excellent! Run along, now."

We walked over to the marketplace, where a Monkey dressed in the brown robes of a monk was sitting on a bench near a fountain.

"Great sun, you have the statures of titans, my children! What is your errand?" Brother Tito asked as we approached him.

"We're here to trade you this book of verses for Saavedra's book." I answered as I offered the leather bound book.

"You come from the library? Ah… you seek a certain historical volume. I fear I have given it back to its owner." Brother Tito said, nodding.

"Go to Don Salmanco, and offer him the volume you would have given me. Walk in the shade of the Holy Tree, my children." Brother Tito said as he pointed at a Monkey sitting upright on a nearby bench.

"You… are very tall, children." Don Salmanco said as we approached him.

"Jerome sent us. We're here for…" Rena said, but was cut off by Don Salmanco.

"I know what he wants. Has he sent what I asked for?" Don Salmanco asked. I offered him the leather bound book of verses, which he took.

"Good! Here is… the book he asked for. If anyone asks, you didn't get it from me." We nodded as he handed the book to Rena's eager hands.

Rena hurriedly flipped through the pages as we reentered the library, where Librarian Jerome was waiting for us with the others seated at a table.

"Here it is… we have Saavedra's Chronicle, at last. Now let me see… Ah! Here is his account of La Mancha and the Paw: It was Martin Valvida who lifted the great relic of Saint Bonzo from the battlefield, and held it high." Librarian Jerome said as Rena, somewhat unwillingly, handed him the book.

"Martin set sail with his two brothers, aboard the _Cornelius_. They never reached their home in Gibbonia – their ship crashed in Diablo Cut."

"There you have it, Pirates. The Valvida Brothers took the Monkey's Paw, and were lost in Diablo Cut. It must still be there!"

We thanked Librarian Jerome, and our trip back to the _Aquila_ was greatly shortened, due to the three open gates.

As we set sail, Rena opened Nikolai's atlas and looked at a map of Tierra Primata Skyway. "Diablo Cut is just across the bay from La Mancha."

We sailed east, and then turned northeast as we reached the mouth of the bay to Diablo Cut. As we made port on a small islet, I and my trusted associates walked down the gangplank to the other side, where a rowboat just big enough to hold all of us was anchored.

Jack and Ratbeard took hold of the oars and they paddled us to the other side, where there was a helmet hanging from the hilt of a sword buried in the ground in front of a cave whose entrance was blocked by red thorny vines.

"So this is Diablo Cut. I don't like it. I don't like it at all. Is that a grave over there?" Jack asked, indicating the helmet and sword.

"This shield has writing all over it! It's all Monquistan – can anybody read it?" Bonnie asked.

Ratbeard stepped forward and knelt down to look at the shield. "I can read it. Here's what it says: Death is all that awaits you in Diablo Cut.

"This marker was raised to honor the memory of the Brothers Valvida, and their loyal soldiers. Their great prize, the monkey's paw, was their undoing."

"Well, if the Paw was their doom, and none of them survived, it must be up this way! Let's go get it." Ratbeard said as he stood up. I sighed as we all entered the cave.

We chopped through the red thorny vines, and we soon came across the mostly-intact wreck of an old Monquistan galleon, covered with the red thorny vines, but its name in brass letters, "_Cornelius_" was still visible.

"Something is very wrong here… I feel a great shadow, like a curse. Walk carefully." Old Scratch said warily. The main mast of the _Cornelius_ had toppled like a tree, and we balanced atop of it to reach the quarter deck.

We opened the bulkhead doors leading below deck, where a red thorny plant with a large bud the size of a barrel with sharp teeth was surrounded by moving red thorny vines sprouting from holes in the floorboards like tentacles. The main plant was coiled around a large wooden chest.

"Shiver me timbers, what is that?" Ratbeard asked as he drew his cutlass. "Well, I think we've found the root of this problem…"

As the main plant snapped its jaws at us, the vines came at us like whips. I drew my sword and pistol, and stunning the closest vine with a burst of electricity, I cut it in two, where it trembled and fell to the floor, dead.

I doubt the blunt force of Gunnery would do much against the vines, so I decided to go straight after the leader. Slashing and spinning my way around the vines, the main plant lunged at me.

I ducked down just in time, and pivoting on my heel, I sliced through its red stem, and it toppled like a tree, trembling before it died. As I turned to look over my shoulder, the other vines trembled and fell dead as well.

I sheathed my sword and pistol to regroup with the others at the treasure chest. After cutting through the vines with her dagger, Rena brought out her tension wrench and picks, and began unlocking the chest, the rest of us silent in fear of breaking her concentration.

There was a click, and Rena opened the chest, and we all crowded around to look inside.

"There's no Paw here, Captain." Bonnie said.

"Confound it! Now what are we supposed to do? The Paw's lost for good!" Ratbeard said.

"Perhaps not all is lost, Ratbeard. We should go outside and look in the valley." Emmett said, rubbing his chin. We climbed out of the hold of the _Cornelius_ and we began searching around the wreck.

"No luck, Captain. There's nothing here but these old bones. And they aren't going to help us." Jack said as he pointed to a pile of bones and armor.

"Perhaps not, let me work me art." Old Scratch said as he waved his staff. The bones and armor then floated up into the air, and began reassembling themselves to form a skeletal Monquistador.

"Who calls?" The skeletal Monquistador asked in a raspy voice. I stepped forward.

"Matthew Exeter, captain of the _Aquila_." I answered.

"Speak quickly – my soul longs to leave this place of horror!" The skeletal Monquistador said.

"My trusted associates and I seek the Monkey's Paw." I said.

"Turn back! It was my death, and the death of so many. Don Valvida was so happy… and so foolish." The skeletal Monquistador said.

"My Lord, Don Martin Valvida, won the Monkey's paw in battle. He and his brothers sailed for home, and we traveled with him, loyal to the end!"

"But a storm drove our ship into Diablo Cut, and wrecked it. We were stranded for weeks, with no hope of rescue. Don Martin looked to the Paw."

"As our food ran out, Don Martin wished for something to eat. His wish was granted: the red vines grew. But they grew to eat, not be eaten!"

"We were decimated. Don Martin, his brothers, and the survivors fled to the Cavern of the Crescent Moon. The Paw must still be within."

The skeletal Monquistador pointed to his right, where there was another tunnel. As he fell apart back into an old pile of bones, the glow from Old Scratch's hoodoo disappeared.

"It looks like another creepy cave for us, Matt. But we're ready." Rena said as she put a hand on my shoulder, nodding. I smiled and nodded in thanks for the support as we entered the tunnel.

After a few minutes of walking, we came across a part of the tunnel that was lit by torch sconces on the cavern walls. It led to two paths leading left and right.

"So this is the Cave of the Crescent Moon! Bad things did happen here – I and I feel it!" Old Scratch said.

"What's that on the wall there?" Bonnie asked, pointing to a carved message on the wall that split the two paths.

"I think I can read it!" Ratbeard said as he examined the walls.

"Beware to all who hold in awe Saint Bonzo's Hand – the Monkey's Paw. For here three brothers were undone by its grim curse, far from the sun."

"One wished his fallen troops might rise from their graves, the other to fly into the skies. The fallen rose as undead things, and the others grew a demon's wings.

"A wish for water brought a terror from the deep – after this error I, the youngest brother born, did hide the Paw from brothers' scorn."

"Three keys you'll need to open up the Chamber of the Paw. The Dead hold one, the Deep has one, the third in Demon's claw."

"Keys in hand, seek out my family crest. Open the door, find me, and face the final test."

"That's a grim tale. Let's go find these keys, captain. Look – there's the crest!" Emmett said, pointing to the path to the right, where we could see the crest above the way to another area of the cavern, across a chasm with flat-topped stalagmites too far between to jump across.

"It looks like we'll have to take the long way. Again…" Jack sighed.

"Well, those keys aren't going to walk towards us. Let's get going." I said as I led the others to the path on the left.


	5. Chapter 5

**Monkey Business**

Chapter Five

"Look! This is the power of the Monkey's Paw." Old Scratch said as we hid behind some rocks to watch the undead Monquistadors patrol the cavern.

"One of these things must have the key. Let's take it from them!" Ratbeard said as he drew his cutlass. We followed him into battle, where the skeletal Monquistadors surrounded us.

As Rena and I were cut from the others, several skeletal Monquistadors surrounded us. One even pulled out one of his ribs and threw it like a knife. Luckily for my own ribcage, Rena stepped in and deflected into another skeletal Monquistador.

We stood back to back as we slashed at the skeletal Monquistadors. I stunned one mid-leap with my pistol, and Rena had thrown her dagger into another one's skull.

"There's too many of them!" I cried. Rena shook her head as she reached inside of her vest and pulled out a smoke bomb. "Not for long."

She threw it onto the ground, and immediately, we were surrounded by black smoke. In the confusion, we both rushed into the smoke screen and began slashing away.

After the smoke had dispersed, Rena and I were surrounded by scattered bones and armor. "Where'd you get those?"

"Nikolai was making them in his workshop underneath the general store, and I asked him if I could take some." Rena answered. "Now let's go help the others!"

We ran towards Ratbeard, who kicked a skeletal Monquistador away with his peg leg, and then slashed another across the face, and Old Scratch, who reanimated the scattered hands to restrain their former owners.

We hacked away at the skeletal Monquistadors, and we regrouped with Bonnie and Emmett, who had stunned and smashed their skulls with their guns.

Jack was all alone, but he was doing a pretty good job of defending himself against the four remaining skeletal Monquistadors. It was no competition as the rest of us ran to help him, and we soon made short work of them.

"Here – the little monster has one of the keys! One down, two to go." Bonnie said as she took the key, which was on a string around one of the skeletal Monquistadors' necks.

We sheathed our weapons as we continued on, and we soon came across another part of the cavern, where the lower area was submerged in water.

"Look! The carving said the second key was in the deep – this must be it!" Bonnie said as she pointed to the water.

We then saw a monster covered in green scales emerge from the water, net and golden trident in hand. He had orange frills on the side of his serpent head, and his lower body was a serpent's.

The monster than threw his net at me, and I couldn't draw my sword, as there was no room. Rena stayed with me to cut me loose while the others engaged the monster, who had come onto the shore.

Rena cut me loose with her dagger, and I stood up and drew my sword and pistol. Bonnie, Emmett, and I fired our guns, but they did little more than to momentarily stop the monster.

As he swiped at us with his golden trident, I used Gunnery through my pistol to fire a huge blue fireball at the monster, sending him reeling back, which was just enough for Rena to leap up and stab him in the chest.

As he fell to the floor, dead, Rena cut off the key from around the monster's neck.

"That's two down! Third key's the charm. Let's get after it!" Bonnie cheered. We sheathed our weapons and continued even deeper into the cavern.

"Shiver me timbers! Look up there – have you ever seen the like?" Ratbeard whispered as we ducked behind some nearby rocks. Many Monquistadors were roosting atop wooden platforms on the stalactites high above us on the ceiling, but the shocking thing was their devil horns and bat wings.

"The second brother, he wished this upon his men. Now they're twisted and evil!" Old Scratch cried.

"The things live above us! How are we supposed to fight them?" Emmett asked.

"Look here… these mushrooms – I reckon the things must eat them, eh? I wonder what they'll do if we ruin them?" Ratbeard said as he pointed him at the patches of sickly green mushrooms growing nearby.

We began smashing the mushrooms underneath our shoes, and the flying Monquistadors began taking notice of us as they shrieked and flew in circles above our heads.

"It worked! Now let's get that key!" Ratbeard said as the flying Monquistadors descended within sword range to attack.

Ours guns proved effective as Bonnie, Emmett, and I carefully aimed at oncoming flying Monquistadors and fired, knocking them out of the air and onto the ground, where it was quickly finished off.

"You came for the Paw? FOOLS! It will be your doom! All I asked was to be able to fly home – and look what it did to us!" One flying Monquistador, bigger than the rest, shrieked.

"Now we cannot go home – look at us! The Monquisition would boil us in oil! If we cannot go home, we will make sure YOU never go home either!"

As he and two bodyguards swooped in towards us, I could see that they were a lot faster than the others. The lead Monquistador ignited two fireballs in his hands, and he threw them at me.

"You're not the only one with powers!" I shouted as I summoned a Valor's Shield, and the fireballs fizzled out as they made contact.

As the others dealt with the other flying Monquistadors, the Monquistador leader and I began dueling. We exchanged fire, and I blocked his fireballs with my Valor's Shield, and he nimbly dodged my Gunnery power. It was a stalemate, and I knew I had to try something else.

As the flying Monquistador burst into flame, and swooped towards me like a phoenix, I aimed my pistol and pulled the trigger, finally knocking him out of the air with a well-aimed Gunnery.

"The third key's ours!" Rena cheered as she took the second key from the unconscious flying Monquistador.

"Right, now let's find the crest and be done with this place!" Bonnie agreed. We soon arrived back in the chamber of the skeletal Monquistadors, now empty, but there were two walls, one made of brick, and a crude one leading back to the skeletal Monquistadors.

"They sealed it off – what do we do now?" Jack asked.

"There – that cannon might bring the wall down! Let's take a look!" Ratbeard said, pointing to one near the wall.

"Confound it! There's plenty of powder, but this shot will never pierce that wall. If only we had some proper cannonballs..." Ratbeard said. I peered inside the cannon to see that the already loaded cannonball was too small.

"The Dead Monkeys – I and I saw many stacks of cannonballs in their cave." Old Scratch spoke up.

"Not a bad idea – for once! Here, turn the cannon and we'll make a shortcut." Bonnie said. We moved the cannon so that it was aimed at the wooden wall, and we fired it.

The wooden wall shattered into splinters, and we walked right in to the skeletal Monquistador's part of the cavern. We soon spotted one, and Ratbeard picked it up. "Now, let's go back to the cannon!"

When we returned, we loaded the cannon and prepared to fire it. As I ignited the fuse, the cannon blasted through the brick wall, leaving bricks and shards lying all around the nearby floor.

Many flying Monquistadors flew out from behind the brick wall, and they, along with some more skeletal Monquistadors, surrounded us.

"NO! You shall not take the Monkey's Paw! Stop them!" The flying Monquistador I had defeated earlier cried. We drew our weapons and began fighting.

As the lead flying Monquistador threw fireballs at us, I protected Bonnie with a Valor's Shield while she aimed her Scaramanga. I let down the shield, and Bonnie pulled the trigger, stunning the lead flying Monquistador.

Emmett and I both fired at an oncoming skeletal Monquistador with our pistols, and then Jack and I stood back to back as more skeletal Monquistadors surrounded us.

We both parried and deflected attacks on our side, and then I moved to help Old Scratch. As Old Scratch anchored flying Monquistadors to the ground with glowing skeletal hands, I knocked them out with Gunnery.

Ratbeard was alone, and I moved to help him as well. I knocked one skeletal Monquistador off his feet, and Ratbeard slammed his peg leg into his skull, smashing it.

After all of the monstrous Monquistadors were defeated, we regrouped at the remains of the brick wall, breathing heavily. As we regained our breath, we walked through the cavern, which was an eerie green due to the glowing mushrooms on the floor and walls.

"There's the door! Use the keys, captain, and then the paw will be ours!" Bonnie said as she pointed to a stone door at the end of the tunnel.

Rena handed me the three keys, and I inserted them into the three slots. As I pushed in the third key, the stone door sunk into the ground, and we stepped past the door.

We walked across a stone overhang above the cavern floor, and onto a plateau where an elderly Monquistador stood in front of a stone table, surrounded by lit candles and hands of all kinds mounted on rods of all kinds. How he got the hands, I didn't want to know.

"You are strange – not the Monquistadors I expected. I am Mendez de Valvida, last of my brothers. You must now be tested." The elderly Monkey said.

"Before we begin, you must ask yourself why you seek the hand of Saint Bonzo. Is it for his glory, or for yours?"

"The test is this: you must choose the correct Paw. Choose carefully – the real Paw offers blessing, the false ones only death.

I pointed to the only scepter with a Monkey's paw on it, at the back of the plateau. "Is it that one?"

"Ah… perhaps I've overdid this. You have chosen… wisely." Mendez de Valvida said, embarrassed. I walked up to the Paw and took it off its carved shelf.

"The Monkey's Paw is yours. Take it, keep it safe, and use it only for good… if you can." Mendez de Valvida said.

"We've done it! The Paw is ours; now let's take this thing back to La Mancha." Bonnie cheered.

"You go on without me. I have gotten used to this place." Mendez de Valvida said. I nodded

We took the long way back to the _Aquila_, and we set course for La Mancha. I and my trusted associates arrived at the courtyard of La Mancha's castle, where Pancho Stanza was waiting with Donkey Hotay.

"Ho there! Have you come for the Grand Tournament? The jousting begins in but an hour's time!" Donkey Hotay asked.

"You have the Paw? Thank the heavens!" Pancho Stanza cheered as I showed him the Monkey's Paw.

"My lord, look – the visitor has brought back the Golden Hand! You can make your final wish!"

"What? Ah yes… I see it! The Monkey's Paw, can it be real? I feel as if I dream… an impossible dream." Donkey Hotay said.

"It is real, my lord! Take it, and make the wish as we practiced!" Pancho Stanza said.

"I shall! I, Donkey Hotay, lord of La Mancha, wish for…" Donkey Hotay said as he took the Paw from me, "One million bananas!"

We all sighed as bananas began raining down on us, littering La Mancha with piles of the fruit. One actually fell into my hand, and I shrugged as I peeled it and took a bite. It was pretty good.

"I thank you for your efforts, captain. Alas, my master is… my master. Here, take the Monkey's Paw, and go." Pancho Stanza said.

"You are lucky you are not Monquistan: you cannot make wishes. I hope whoever sent you for the Paw make better use of it than Donkey Hotay."

I nodded as we turned around and walked away with the Paw. I made sure to keep close to me in my inside coat pocket as we sailed for Zenda.

"You have the Paw?" Lady Eleanor asked as we returned, where she was waiting for us along with Gortez in the entrance hall. I nodded and produced the Monkey's Paw, and handed it to her.

"Excellent! With it, we will end the squabbling of Nobles, Crown, and Church and build a new era. You have our gratitude."

"You have done a thing no Monquistador has accomplished, and too few have even tried. Now we will raise an army, and shake Monquista to its very core!" Gortez, now dressed in golden armor, said.

"I also hear a million bananas are laying around La Mancha, ripe for the taking. Mercenaries will flock to our banner now!"

"We can hardly repay you for all you've done, captain." Lady Eleanor said.

"I've written orders for the governor in Puerto Mico to immediately sign a trade alliance with Skull Island, and sealed it with my signet."

"Go with our blessing. You have done well." Lady Eleanor said as she handed me the letter.

"Thank you, Lady Eleanor." I said, bowing slightly as we turned to leave. We sailed to the Stormgate to Monquista, where we managed to pass through safely to Puerto Mico.

I and my trusted associates walked up to the governor's palace, where the majordomo sat at his desk in the entrance hall.

"Back again, I see. You enjoyed your sojourn to my illustrious homeland, yes? I see it's done nothing for your fashion sense. Alas." The Majordomo said.

"Please, go right up. I'm sure His Excellency will be… overjoyed to see you."

I hesitantly walked up to the doors of the governor's office. I opened to them to see a Monkey dressed in red standing atop the desk.

"Good day and what is your business?" The new governor asked.

"I have orders from Lady Eleanor and Gortez for you to sign a treaty with Skull Island." I answered.

"Wait a moment – are you by any chance the captain that… Oh dear, look at the time." The governor said hurriedly.

"I'm afraid I have no knowledge of the matters you discuss – my predecessor… ah… left no record of you. I cannot help you. I have… urgent… yes."

"You'll have to see the Majordomo if you wish to press these matter further. Good day, captain. I said good day!"

As the governor shooed me out of his office and closed the doors, I sighed. "What's with Puerto Mico and its governors?"

I walked down to the entrance hall and to the Majordomo. "My, but you've made a name for yourself."

"The governor said you can help me with this." I said as I handed him Queen Eleanor's letter.

"Yes, I can help you conclude your business." The Majordomo said as he opened the envelope and read the letter. "Ah, orders from Queen Eleanor – it's been a long time."

"Let me see… Item one: treaty with Skull Island… signed and sealed. Now for item two, payment for services – wait a moment."

All our eyes jerked up at that last part as the Majordomo continued, apparently outraged. "You undertake a secret mission, humble and humiliate Monquista's greatest hero, return him home to ignite an unprecedented scandal…"

"Then you free him and help him start a revolution against the crown. You expect to be PAID for this? I trust gold will be acceptable."

The governor's servants returned with a large sack filled with gold coins, and the Majordomo continued. "Before you go, there is one other small matter. During your absence, a letter was delivered for you, marked 'urgent.'"

"I of course did you the service of reading it. It seems as if you are in some trouble, and a friend of yours may be as well."

"What's in that letter?" Emmett asked as the Majordomo handed me the letter. I opened it and began reading it.

"_Captain, you're in deadly danger. It's the map – every blackguard and scallywag in Skull Island wants to kill you for it."_

"_We need to talk. Flotsam's not safe – I'll be at the Hole in the Wall tavern in Scrimshaw. Come quick! You owe me one, Matt – Jack." _

"What map? Best get to the bottom of this!" Ratbeard said as he looked over my shoulder.

"You lead an interesting life, Pirate. Farewell and good luck." The Majordomo said, giving a small smile. I nodded as we turned around and left.


End file.
